S/2018 J 3

S/2018 J 3
Discovery[1]
Discovered byScott S. Sheppard
Discovery siteLas Campanas Obs.
Discovery date12 May 2018
Orbital characteristics[1][2]
Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation arc4.35 yr (1590 d)
0.1525861 AU (22,826,560 km)
Eccentricity0.2731285
–1.93 yr (–704.56 days)
16.59790°
0° 30m 39.453s / day
Inclination164.90043° (to ecliptic)
240.00514°
296.52870°
Satellite ofJupiter
GroupCarme group
Physical characteristics
≈1 km[3]
23.9[3]
17.3[1]

S/2018 J 3 is a small outer natural satellite of Jupiter discovered by Scott S. Sheppard on 12 May 2018, using the 6.5-meter Magellan-Baade Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. It was announced by the Minor Planet Center on 19 January 2023, after observations were collected over a long enough time span to confirm the satellite's orbit.[1]

S/2018 J 3 is part of the Carme group, a tight cluster of retrograde irregular moons of Jupiter that follow similar orbits to Carme at semi-major axes between 22–24 million km (14–15 million mi), orbital eccentricities between 0.2–0.3, and inclinations between 163–166°.[3] It has a diameter of about 1 km (0.62 mi) for an absolute magnitude of 17.3, making it one of Jupiter's smallest known moons.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference MPEC-2023-B38 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference jplsats-disc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference SheppardMoons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).